Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Let's assume we do nothing about climate change. Imagine that we just continue to emit carbon at our current levels or even exceed those levels. How would our weather change? What would our forecast be? Welcome to The Weather of the Future.

In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Heidi Cullen, one of the world's foremost climatologists and environmental journalists, puts a vivid face on climate change, offering a new way of seeing this phenomenon not just as an event set to happen in the distant future but as something happening right now in our own backyards. Arguing that we must connect the weather of today with the climate change of tomorrow, Cullen combines the latest research from scientists on the ground with state-of-the-art climate-model projections to create climate-change scenarios for seven of the most at-risk locations around the world.

From the Central Valley of California, where coming droughts will jeopardize the entire state's water supply, to Greenland, where warmer temperatures will give access to mineral wealth buried beneath ice sheets for millennia, Cullen illustrates how, if left unabated, climate change will transform every corner of the world by midcentury. What emerges is a mosaic of changing weather patterns that collectively spell out the range of risks posed by global warming—whether it's New York City, whose infrastructure is extremely vulnerable to even a relatively weak category 3 hurricane, or Bangladesh, a country so low-lying that millions of people could become climate refugees due to rising sea levels.

Provocative and convincing, The Weather of the Future makes climate change local, showing how no two regions of the country or the world will be affected in quite the same way, and demonstrating that melting ice is just the beginning.

Review

This engrossing study predicts global warming scenarios for seven hot spots around the world and evaluates the responses of communities governments and international organizations. Cullen a climatologist notes that "just as our brain is hardwired to perceive threats that are most immediate to us we are hardwired to devote more energy to caring about the weather than to caring about the climate" and that "by the time you see it in the weather... it's too late." With some ecosystems such as the overtaxed Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta which the entire state of California depends on for water "people would rather simply hope for a happy ending." In contrast in the Arctic the Inuit are responding to climate change and incorporating technology into their traditional hunting methods and New York City "has decided to fix the climate bug now" with its Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. Despite the worry among scientists that humans will follow "the woolly mammoth the symbol of a climate that no longer exists" the book presents a surprisingly optimistic view of humanity's determination to come to terms with a daunting future. (Aug.) " Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

Review

"This engrossing study predicts global warming scenarios for seven hot spots around the world--and evaluates the responses of communities, governments, and international organizations. Cullen, a climatologist, notes that 'just as our brain is hardwired to perceive threats that are most immediate to us, we are hardwired to devote more energy to caring about the weather than to caring about the climate,' and that 'by the time you see it in the weather... it's too late.' With some ecosystems, such as the overtaxed Sacramento  San Joaquin Delta, which the entire state of California depends on for water, 'people would rather simply hope for a happy ending.' In contrast, in the Arctic, the Inuit are responding to climate change and incorporating technology into their traditional hunting methods, and New York City 'has decided to fix the climate bug now' with its Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. Despite the worry among scientists that humans will follow 'the woolly mammoth, the symbol of a climate that no longer exists,' the book presents a surprisingly optimistic view of humanity's determination to come to terms with a daunting future. (Aug.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright PWyxz LLC)

Review

“This is a woman to whom attention must be paid.” Booklist

Review

In this important and timely book, Heidi Cullen breaks ground...simplifying the connection between weather and climate and bringing the true impact of the problem, literally, right to your front door. Laurie David, Academy Award winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth

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“In an accessible way, [Cullen] details the Earths climate history and forecasts what might happen if were not more careful.” New York Post

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“Heidi Cullens beautifully crafted study provides the human detail that has been missing from most reports on climate science…This book sets a new benchmark for accessible writing on the likely weather of the future.” New Scientist

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“Fact-filled and entertaining yet disturbing depiction of our world as temperatures rise...A lively and troubling but not entirely doomsday scenario of our warmer future.” Kirkus Reviews

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“Engrossing…the book presents a surprisingly optimistic view of humanitys determination to come to terms with a daunting future.” Publishers Weekly

Review

“[Cullen] accepts weather as a local matter, just as Tip ONeill, longtime speaker of the House of Representatives, proclaimed all politics to be local...The Weather of the Future,” uses a broad itinerary to illustrate the threats she perceives.” Associated Press

Review

“Vivid and compelling, this book shows what life will be like in a warming world. Essential reading for anyone whos planning to inhabit the planet for the next few decades.” Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe

Review

“A scorching vision of what life might be like in the warmer world that is already on its way. ” Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Synopsis

From Heidi Cullen, one of Americas foremost experts on weather and climate change and a senior research scientist with Climate Central, comes The Weather of the Future, a fascinating and provocative book that predicts what different parts of the world will look like in the year 2050 if current levels of carbon emissions are maintained.

About the Author

Heidi Cullen is a senior research scientist with Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization through which she reports on climate change for news outlets, including PBS NewsHour, Time.com, and The Weather Channel. Before joining Climate Central, Dr. Cullen served as The Weather Channel's first on-air climate expert and helped create Forecast Earth, the first weekly television series to focus on issues related to climate change and the environment. She is a visiting lecturer at Princeton University, a member of the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society, and an associate editor of the journal Weather, Climate, and Society. She has appeared on Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, The View, and Larry King Live. She holds a BS in engineering and a PhD in climatology from Columbia University, and lives with her husband and two dogs in Princeton, New Jersey.